The request puts the Twitter whistleblower at the center of Musk’s ongoing legal battle with Twitter, which he agreed to buy in April. Musk tried to scuttle the deal, citing many of the same issues detailed in Zatko’s revelations. Zatko is scheduled to be deposed in connection with the subpoena on September 9. any documents related to illegal activity Musk’s legal team took action shortly after Zatko’s allegations became public, telling reporters they were in the process of filing a subpoena as early as August 23. However, the documents were only officially filed on Monday, giving the request legal force and making its details public for the first time. In an attached document (pages 11 to 14), Musk’s team details a number of documents and communications that are subject to the subpoena, including any material related to the impact of spam on Twitter’s business or refers to the notoriously troublesome mDAU scheme as ” basic measurement.’ The court will also consider material related to the termination of Zatko’s employment with Twitter and his continued ownership of Twitter. Additionally, the court is seeking any documents related to illegal activity from Twitter or any foreign intelligence agents employed by the company. Zatko’s disclosures, filed with the SEC and first obtained by the Washington Post and CNN, made numerous allegations of lax security procedures and intentionally misleading practices. Among the claims made in the documents, Zatko alleges that Twitter knowingly downplayed the level of bot activity on the platform — something Musk cited as a central reason for trying to back out of the deal to buy the company. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal disputed Zatko’s claims, calling them a “false narrative” in an email to staff and in statements sent to the media. Several leading voices in cybersecurity have since come forward to support Zatko’s credentials and track record, with veteran cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter tweeting that “there probably hasn’t been a security executive with more ethics, more credibility than Mudge.” .
